“Matches” Feature Coming to Battlefield 3

Fantastic news for all you Battlefield 3 players, EA and DICE have finally detailed their upcoming Matches feature. Check out the new information below.

We’re taking the next step in advancing online competitive play in the Battlefield 3 community. The “Matches” feature will allow players to coordinate competitive multiplayer sessions with their friends and squad members. Battlefield 3 players will be able to select the time, server, game settings, and roster for their Matches creating a controlled and definitive environment for competitive play.

Players will be able to coordinate Matches for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 through the Battlelog. To coordinate a Match a player must be actively renting a dedicated server. Once a dedicated server has been selected the Match host can set the Match name, start time, game mode, team size, and map rotations.

After these preliminary decisions have been made, game settings are determined for the Match. Matches are completely customizable; an extensive list of settings including friendly fire, 3D spotting, squad-leader spawning, kill cam, health regeneration, a list of weapon unlocks that will be made available to players, and more can be set to exact specifications.

With the Match settings in place, players then select the rosters for their teams from their list of friends and platoon members. A team leader for the rival team is assigned who in turn also chooses a roster for the opposing team. With the teams set, the Match is scheduled for creation and players can begin taking their places.

Before the Match begins players may engage in a Warm-up Phase where no kills or points are counted. The Match will stay in this state until all participating players have signaled that they are ready from the pause menu.

After the Match is completed players can review the results on Battlelog. Players can see the number of rounds played, what maps were used, the team that won each round, and other relevant information.

With Matches, Battlefield 3 players will be able to create, control, and track directly competitive online play. Platoons, friends, and rivals will be able to put their teamwork to the test in controlled environments laying claim to definitive superiority and creating new grudges.

Stay tuned for more details including a release date for Matches!

We’ll be sure to post more information as soon as it becomes available, in the meantime what do you think about the Matches feature? Will you be using it? Let us know in the comments!